


Debris

by Briar_Rose7



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst, Budding Love, Buried Alive, Drama, F/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-13 00:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4500342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briar_Rose7/pseuds/Briar_Rose7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an earthquake, Mr. Gold finds himself buried under debris. He gives up to panic and desperation until he finds that he is not alone. The voice of a woman in the same situation finds him. Together they must try to mantain the hope in each other until the rescue.</p>
<p>Prompt found on RumbelleDailyPrompt</p>
            </blockquote>





	Debris

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first fic I've ever written in English (I'm not an English mother-tongue).  
> Endless thanks to my beta for helping me with this.

 

It took just a handful of seconds for the world to literally crash down. One moment Mr. Gold was sitting at his desk in his finally empty office, the next one he felt the floor shaking under his feet; then he was falling down with said floor and landing harshly on the debris. His whole body hurt and a thick dust covered everything, making him cough. It took him a while to gather the courage to open his eyes and when he did he wished he hadn’t. He was buried alive under about five former-floors of debris. It was slightly different from being already dead: it just meant he would suffer more before. It was late in the evening and everyone would assume the building was empty; it could take them days to start looking for someone in it. He would be long dead by the time they found him. His so much appreciated loneliness would be his doom: he would die and he would die in darkness, alone. He started panicking, too scared to move and even more scared when he realized he wouldn’t be able to move even if he wanted: his right leg was trapped under something and was probably broken: he could feel his ankle twisted at a painful, unnatural angle. He started sobbing, “I don’t want to die” the only coherent thought in his head. He would never see his son again…

“Hello? Someone there?” A voice! The sound was muffled by the debris but it was definitely a human voice. A female voice. Apparently he wasn’t really the only one left in the building.

“Yes! Yes, I’m here!” It didn’t change the fact that he was going to die, but knowing that he wasn’t alone made him feel the slightest bit better. It was probably really selfish of him to be happy knowing that someone else was going to die too.

“How are you? Are you hurt?” There was real concern in her voice. Judging by her voice, she was pretty young. God, it was so unfair she was going to die.

“I think I badly broke my ankle and probably a couple other bones in my leg, but I can’t be sure. What about you?”

“Something pierced my shoulder. I’m afraid whatever it was is still in the wound but I can’t really move to check.”

“Are you bleeding?” If she was seriously bleeding, he would soon hear a young girl die near him and he really hoped he didn’t have to. It was almost funny to think he would never even see her face.

“No, not much, at least. Are you?”

“I’m ok.” He paused a moment than added “Why where you still here this late in the evening?”

“I work as a secretary for Regina Mills. The witch said I had to finish my work today no matter how long it took me, so here I am, sprawled over the hundreds papers of the file I was finally going to finish. I guess she will be quite angry when she finds out all her precious work is now lost.” She felt immediately guilty for implying her boss would be more worried about some paperwork and an office than for a human life, but after all she wasn’t really sure Regina would actually care if she died.

“Is she that bad?”

“Yes, she is. Graham, her poor assistant, is gonna get crazy if he doesn’t find another work soon. Anyway, why were _you_ still here this late?”

“I like working, getting lost in the paperwork. It helps me to forget.”

“Forget what?” He wasn’t ready to say that, not yet. Not when the thing he wanted to forget was now forever lost.

“I guess it worked.” Luckily she couldn’t see his sad smile. She was silent for a bit, then quietly asked “Do you think they’re gonna find us?” How on earth is someone supposed to tell a girl she’s going to die? After all, he wasn’t _sure_ they wouldn’t make it, so it couldn’t be so bad to give in to hope for just a moment, could it?

“I don’t know. But, hey, they can’t just leave this wreckage like this, can they? They’re probably already working to see if someone is still here.” No, they probably weren’t.

“Half of the town is probably reduced to debris. They can’t possibly be looking in every building. And this one was supposed to be empty this late in the evening.” Apparently she was young but not naive.

“There’s still hope.” He had to believe that. Because the voice he had thought would keep him company during death was actually making him want to live more than ever. He wanted to see her face, to be able to thank her for being the first person in more than two years he really felt connected to.

“I just hope all my friends are alright.”

“I don’t really have friends and all there’s left of my family lives in Maine, so at least I needn’t worry.”

“Your family may be on the other side of the continent, but mine is on the other side of earth, so I win the ‘I’m far away from home’ contest.” Was she really laughing while buried alive? Yes, she definitely was, even if the laughter ended up in a cough. “Do you really have no friends?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’m not that much of a social person. And moving to a different country when you are almost forty years old doesn’t really help.”

“Where are you from?”

“Scotland.”

“Well, I’m Australian.”

“I should have known from the accent. How long have you been in the States?”

“Almost four years. I’ve always wanted to see the world, so when my boyfriend Gordon told me he got an offer for a job here I thought it was my occasion. We broke up after a couple years but I don’t regret following him here; I always considered it my adventure, a new life all alone in a foreign place. Well, until now, at least.” By the end of her brief tale she was trying so hard not to cry.

“Yes, it seems we’re in a quite difficult situation. But a good adventure needs some suspense after all.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m Belle, by the way.”

“I’m Robert.”

“Can you tell me your full name? This way if we make it I’ll be able to find you and thank you.”

“Thank me for what? Anyway, I’m Robert Gold.”

“For being here. I’m Belle French.”

“So your name is French but you’re Australian and live in the States? Don’t you have, I don’t know, an Indian friend?”

“I have a Chinese friend.”

“Wonderful! Now you’re just missing an African pet.”

“Are you telling me I should get a domestic crocodile?”

“It could be fun! And you would have a precious ally the next time some idiot guy like that Gordon misses the chance to spend his life with a wonderful girl like you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“For once I want to trust my instinct.”

“Thank you.”

They spent the next hours endlessly talking, the sound of the other’s voice easing away their fears. Talking was the only way to be sure the other was still ok, that they were still fighting.

She told him her dreams of traveling and becoming a writer, he described her the landscapes of Scotland. She told him of her life and he listened, making funny comments and occasionally giving little details of his own. She was brilliant, curious, well read. He was intelligent, sarcastic and a great storyteller. The sound of his warm, accented voice was gradually lulling her into sleep…

“Belle? BELLE?”

“Hey! Hey, I’m here. I was just falling asleep.” Robert knew it was probably better for her to sleep, but he didn’t want her to. Sleeping she wouldn’t feel the smell, the hunger, the thirst, the cold or the pain but he didn’t want to be alone, didn’t want to spend the next hours awake (for there was no chance he could get asleep like this) wondering if she was still sleeping or was simply dead.

“Do you want me to stop talking so you can sleep?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t want to fall asleep without knowing if I’ll ever wake up.” She was a pathetic coward. She had not found the courage to tell him the whole truth. She was so utterly afraid because she _knew_ she was dying: her shoulder hurt every moment more and she was starting to feel feverish. The wound was probably infected and she had absolutely no idea how long it would take for it to kill her, but she didn’t want to take the risk of falling asleep. If she was never going to know another person in her life, she wanted at least to know him, to spend every last moment of her life hearing that warm accented voice, easing away at least his fears. She wanted to die hoping he would be saved and knowing she had somehow helped him.

“I was thinking I never asked you why you left Scotland. I’m sorry, it was quite rude of me to tell my story not asking yours.”

“It’s not an interesting story.”

“But do you wanna tell it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere, so you have time to think.”

“I came here to find my son.”

“Oh. What happened to him?”

“He left home. The day he turned 18. I entered his room with his breakfast and a present and he was gone. He left a letter to tell me not to look for him, but I obviously didn’t listen to it. I started looking for him ten minutes after reading the letter and soon discovered he was in Boston, hosted by an old friend of his. I took the first plane and went to talk to him, but he was not coming back home. I accepted the first work offer in the States I could find, even if it was on the other side of the country. It was always better than being on the other side of the ocean and he wouldn’t feel I was trying to invade his space anymore. Around three years ago I sent him a text message to tell him I was settling in here, but he never answered. I’ve never heard him since then.”

“God, I’m so, so sorry.”

“That was until last week, when I got a phone call. I almost fainted when I realized it was him. He was quite cold, but apparently he is going to have a child with his old ‘friend’ and told me he just wants to give me a chance to get to know my grandson. And he invited me to Boston for the oncoming weekend so I can watch the last echography of the baby. That’s why I was staying at work so late, because I was both happy and terrified of seeing my son again and I needed not to think too much about it.” She couldn’t see him, but Belle was fairly sure he was crying.

“And now I could die here without seeing him again and it’s so unfair, because all I asked for was a chance to see him again, to tell him that I love him and that I’m sorry.”

“You _will_ see him again, I’m sure of it. We’ll get out of here and you’ll get your second chance and your happy ending. You deserve it.”

“Now _who_ is talking without even knowing me?”

“I trusted you, you can trust me.”

“You have a point.”

“Robert… can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Why did your son leave? I know I shouldn’t ask you it’s just… I thought that maybe you needed to talk about it to someone. I won’t mind if you don’t want to tell me.”

“No, it’s… you’re right. I can’t even remember the last time I really _talked_ to someone. I mean, talked about important things, not just the small talk. But it’s quite a pathetic, long story.”

“Go on. I want to hear it.”

“When I was twenty my girlfriend, Mya, got pregnant. She didn’t want to keep the child, but I talked her into changing her mind. My father abandoned me and I knew I would never, _never,_ do the same thing to my own child. All children should be wanted, should _feel_ wanted, and loved. And I loved him. From the very first moment I knew he was on his way to this world. The first time I held him was the happiest moment of my life; for the first time in my life I didn’t feel like an unwanted child, the one who would always be less than the others for some reason. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and he was _my_ child, and no one would ever change that.” He swallowed, taking a moment to live again that moment, that feeling, that was worth all his past and present troubles. He would happily live another life with twice the pain if he knew he would still have a moment like that.

“We got married before our child was born but Mya wasn’t happy. She often told me that the baby was keeping us from fully living our lives, but I couldn’t understand her: Neal - our son - was everything I’d ever wanted from life. I should have understood, I should have talked to her, but I was blind. I just thought that one day she would see in Neal what I saw. So she started spending less and less time home, never telling where she was going or when she would come back. She was constantly yelling at me and Neal was growing fast and started asking me why I was always arguing with his mama. I never knew what to tell him.”

“I’m so sorry. For both of you. I can understand not wanting a child when you’re that young but… I agree with you: a child _is_ the best thing in a parent’s life.“

“Now I realize I don’t even know if you have any children.”

“No, I haven’t. I’m not even engaged for what matters. But my parents always told me I was the best thing in their lives.”

“I already like them.” What a stupid thing to say, like he was going to meet them. No way. Even if they survived this there was absolutely no reason for which he could meet her parents.

“I’d like for you to meet my dad, one day. But I’m afraid my mother is long gone.”

“I’m sorry… How did it happen?”

“A breast cancer, many years ago. I was fifteen. But, I’m sorry, you were telling me about your family.”

“One day, I came back home after taking Neal from kindergarten and she wasn’t there. She left a note saying that she had fallen in love with another man and was running away with him. I tried calling her but she had changed her phone number. All of a sudden, I was a single father with a five years old boy who kept asking me why his mom wasn’t coming back home.”

“It must have been hell.”

“Yes, it was. But after more than a year she came back with her lover and it was even worse. I had no problem in giving her divorce, but I was terribly scared she would try to take Neal from me. He was obviously happy to have his mother back but I really couldn’t forgive her: she had abandoned him without even bothering to call him every now and then. At the beginning I was content just hearing she didn’t want to get custody of him, and even happy when I realized she wouldn’t be a constant presence for she was often traveling the world, but then I realized it wasn’t enough. I wanted her _gone_. I wanted the woman who had made my children suffer out of our life. She couldn’t just pop out every four months or so, spend five days with him and then be gone again. So I started finding excuses not to bring him to her every time she was in town. I wanted to hurt her, to make her feel guilty, to make her realize that leaving him the first time she had made a choice and that she would have to face the consequences. I never forgave her and in my rage I didn’t realize I was doing the same thing: I was putting myself before Neal’s needs, I was using him to hurt her.”

“You never meant to.”

“But I did it and that’s what matters. Mya was running out of patience and on a really rainy day, after another of my excuses, got in her car and started driving to come to my house and get Neal herself. She never made it to my door; she died in a car crash on the way. Neal was thirteen and never forgave me for keeping him away from his mother and somehow causing her death.”

“I’m… so sorry. I’m really, really sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be. It was all my fault. I’m a monster just like my father.”

“You’re not a monster. You never abandoned Neal. You always wanted the best for him, you just didn’t realize _what_ was best for him. And you had every right to be angry with Mya.”

“The truth is I was a terrible father.”

“No, you weren’t, and I’ll keep telling you it until you’ll believe me. You’re a good man and I’m sure Neal will understand it sooner rather than later. He needed his time to be alone, to be mad at you, but now he’s a grown man and will understand. Go, find him, talk to him and open your heart just like you did with me. He will understand. He will forgive you.” 

“I really, really hope you’re right.”

“I’m sure I am.” And she was also cold, terribly cold, and couldn’t even move to warm herself. She hadn’t eaten or drank for, what, twenty hours? She had no idea how long they had been trapped in the building, but now it was becoming too much. Her clothes were damp of blood and her own urine and the smell wasn’t helping. He shoulder was definitely infected and now even breathing was becoming so painful she had to keep herself from whimpering.

“Belle? Are you ok?”

“What? Yes, yes, I am.”

“No, you’re lying. Was that a whimper?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Belle, what’s wrong? Don’t lie, your voice is weak.”

“I just talked too much.”

“Bloody hell, Belle, TELL ME THE TRUTH!” She was silent for so long Robert thought he was going to get crazy out of worry.

“I’m dying.”

“What? No!”

“My wound got infected. It’s becoming difficult even to breathe.”

“No, Belle, you have to hold on. They will save us.”

“They won’t make it in time.”

“Belle, please, please hold on. It’s your adventure, it can’t end this way.”

“It seems it will. But I’m not sad. Just promise me you won’t give up on your son.”

“I won’t give up on _you_.”

“There’s nothing you can do.” It was the truth. He couldn’t save her.

“Please, Belle, hold on.”

“I’m glad I got to know you.” She had started crying. “When I found myself under the debris I was so scared and then I heard you and I was so happy and now that I think about it, it was so selfish of me to be happy, and we started talking and I realized you were the most amazing men I’d met in a long, long time.”

“Belle…”

“For a couple hours I really hoped we would be rescued and I would get to see your face and we could be friends and then my shoulder started aching more and more and I realized I would never see daylight again.” He had started crying too.

“But as I said I’m not sad, because this gave me a chance to know you. I’m just scared and mad at myself because I’ve always wanted to be brave and all I seem to be able to do is being scared. I wish I could hold your hand.”

“I will hold your hand, I promise, the moment we’ll get out of here. But you’ll have to be alive to feel it.”

“I’m so tired, Robert. I think I’ll get asleep.”

“No, no Belle, keep talking.”

“I’m tired of talking. I like listening. I like your voice.”

“No, Belle, you have to hold on. Belle? Belle?” She tried to bid him goodbye but the only sound that escaped her throat was a groan. She heard him calling her name again before finally falling into nothingness.

He was fully sobbing now. She was gone. She was gone forever and was not coming back. He was such a failure, he had never been able to protect people he cared for.

Once again, his cries were stopped by a voice. But it was not hers. Actually there were _many_ voices and other noises… the rescuers! His chest filled with hope. Maybe it was not too late, maybe she had just fainted and they would save her, but sure as hell they didn’t have much time. He started shouting, his voice hoarse from crying and talking for hours, but he didn’t stop, not even when they heard him, he just kept telling them there was a girl dying near him and they needed to hurry and save her first. They didn’t listen and he was the first to see the light again. It was so bright he had to keep his eyes closed for a long while, but even blinded and with his broken leg he kept fighting not to be brought to the hospital until they found Belle too. They finally found her and he got a glimpse of a pale girl with long brown hair being pulled out of the building. While they brought her on the ambulance he managed to take hold of her hand, even if for a moment. Her hand was soft and _warm_.

“You’re real. You’re alive.” He finally let them pull him on ambulance and fainted, peacefully surrendering to exhaustion.

* * *

He limped into the room, heavily leaning on the crutches. She was reading, her book resting on her knees, her left shoulder and arm tightly bandaged. Now he could fully see how beautiful she was, even if she looked plain all those days ago covered in dirt and blood. He reached her bed and cleared his throat and suddenly realized he didn’t know what to say. She looked up at him, clearly confused, and he was struck by her beautiful blue eyes.

“I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

“I’m Robert Gold.” It had been so stupid of him, she probably wasn’t really interested in being friend with him, she had said it because she was dying and was clearly out of her mind. He had put himself in a very awkward situation. Then her eyes widened in surprise and… joy?

“It’s you!” And she suddenly dropped her book on the bed, got up and somehow hugged him with her only good arm, and even if he had been able to lift his hand from the crutches he wouldn’t have done it, for he completely froze at the gesture. She swayed a little when she let go of him and heavily dropped herself on the bed.

“My doctor keeps telling me I shouldn't get up all of a sudden and I keep being too emotional to do so. I’m sorry for the hug, I couldn't help it.”

“You needn’t be sorry.” He set on the chair beside the bed. “How are you?”

“That infection almost killed me but now I’m fine. They brought me to the hospital just in time, they… they said you kept telling them to save me first.”

“I did.”

“Well, thank you. I probably owe you my life.”

“And what about your arm?”

“I’ll have to go through physiotherapy and they are not sure if it’ll ever be completely functional again, but at least it’s the left one and I’ll still be able to use it somehow. What about your leg?”

“They are pretty sure my ankle will never work properly again, but they told me after physiotherapy I should be perfectly able to walk with a cane.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Well, it didn’t take it well at the beginning, but now I’ve accepted it. I learned that there are much more muscles and bones in our feet and legs than I thought, and I was so good I managed to damage a lot of them. It could have been worse, and from that day I got more good than bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got to know you” now he was really acting like a fourteen years old, “and five days after I woke up in hospital Neal was by my side.”

“I’m so happy to hear it. What happened?”

“Well, I called him on my first day of hospitalization and was honestly worried, so he came to see me. We talked, we cried, and in the end he offered me to move with him in Boston until I can walk properly again, then he will help me find a house and a job in Boston. I’m leaving this evening.”

“Is this a goodbye then?” She looked strangely… sad.

“Not if you don’t want it to be. I… I will leave you my phone number and my address if you want.”

“I would like that. I’d give you mine but I lost my phone and my house was destroyed, so I think I’ll go living with one of my friends for a bit but I’m not sure.”

“Are your friends all well?”

“Yes, they are.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“And… Robert?”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad to see you again. And, as I said, I’m somehow homeless now so I could start searching for another house, maybe even in another city, like… Boston. Who knows?”

“It would be a great new chapter in your adventure, wouldn’t it? A new fresh start all alone in a different city.”

“Yeah… Well, maybe not all alone.” She took his hand in hers.

“Yes, maybe.”


End file.
